Watching 70s Heavyweight boxing,why does it seem like these guys are actually having fun

Did you watch the clip of Coetzee-Schutte the other day? They were having a lot of fun.

 

You think Ali and Frazier were playing around? Do you know the context of their fights?

 

I think its simply due to the 70's in general being more about proving who was the better boxer as opposed to todays day where its more about who can become the biggest superstar/generate the most money.

 

70s and 80s were like that, just in general. People didn't take themselves as seriously and life in general was just more fun, even in a fight .

The 90s started to change things. Being emo and weird became cool, and just being happy was considered something to feel guilty about.

Fast forward to mid 2000s and literally everyone believes they are a victim of oppression and white supremacy

 

I've seen a few fights nowadays where the dudes have fun

 

I didn’t know how to put it but you got it there. Anyway being another bad ass wouldn’t have got you anywhere as the division was too deep at the top 10 ratings level. You either had it or didn’t. Just like Bugner could live with the top guys win or not and Dunn couldn’t.

 

You're right, they're having fun because many of the 70's boys were true athletes and warriors who wanted to win and try to become the best. They weren't just there for a paycheck.

 

You can’t get to the top if you aren’t obsessed. Of course they enjoy it- they all do.

 

I think it’s because they were, or at least having as much fun as you can while getting beaten up; a lot of it was certainly the personalities involved. The top guys each had their own manner, were refreshingly unselfconscious. What you saw was what you got. Nobody talked about themselves in the third person. No outlandish costumes or ring entrances. The influence of social media, crafted appearances and massive paydays shifted the perspective of fighters. Now it’s about entertainment.

Just my .02 …

 

The best ever era for heavyweights. I was 14 at the beginning of 1970 and 24 at the end of 1979 so it was "My time" and that always helps a bit. The depth of the division in the early/middle part of that decade was superb - Ali,Foreman,Frazier,Norton et al with Holmes on the horizon.

Did they enjoy it more? They certainly enjoyed having competitive fights with each other.

 

Certainly appears that way watching em. Lol
They look like they want to get stuck in there and prove their the top dog.
Not sure how many would like to get hammered by George or Shavers but yep, different times.

 

Slight tangent, but possibly the fighter who appeared to enjoy himself the most (ever) in the ring was Jack Johnson, the man with the golden smile - at least as far as what we can see of him on the available films. Maybe Jack should've been part of the 70s crew also - though I don't know if he would've enjoyed himself quite as much amongst that lot.

 

I'd put Ali in that category too (not surprisingly, Ali idolized Johnson); he seemed to just be having a ball as HW champ. The press loved him, he was a walking quote machine - though the act wore thin after a certain point, he wasn't a terribly imaginative guy and didn't have another level to go to as he aged. He managed to span all demographics, and a public who didn't know or care about boxing were drawn to him because of his charm, quick wit and bright personality. Compare that to the appeal of Mike Tyson, which seemed to be based on what-will-he-do-next, driving-by-a-car-accident persona ...

 

Ali was fresh with the talk when he was younger - but then fell into repeating the same stuff. He had been around a long time, with all eyes and ears on him. Given same, I guess anyone might eventually run out of material and fall prey to over saturation.

True, at his height, Mike also held that train crash attention - a very loose cannon. I will say now, given his greater humility, relatively greater calm and introspection, he's quite an interesting person to listen to. Even so, I still detect a heavily suppressed menace in Mike that could surface if anyone is crazy enough to go hard and push the right (or shall we say, wrong) buttons. All that "therapeutic" pot helps to take the edge off, I guess. Lol.

Too bad Johnson was demoted to talking about himself and his career at Hubert's Museum and Flea Circus. I know it's easy to say in hindsight, but I would've paid good money to be in the presence of the man and to hear him speak. Johnson would've absolutely loved doing the talk show circuits that were to come.

Johnson speaking at Hubert's Museum and Flea Circus: -

https://tinyurl.com/yzeyw26c